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Cardinal Creates Youth Film Festival

NEW BREMEN — A young film buff, Patrick Ferguson says he loves a good story and enjoys seeing how all the aspects fall into place when it hits the screen.

“The thing about it that I love is just watching all of the elements come together,” the New Bremen High School senior said. “I love putting on a good show. Ask any of my friends, I’m strung really tight when it comes to putting on a show, whether it be in theater or when I’m making one of my short films. Even if I’m just watching a movie and people are talking, I want them to be quiet because I want to enjoy it. I just love how a show can come together and how people can be impacted. I just love a good story.”

Ferguson, the son of Pat and Julie Ferguson of New Bremen, said his interest in film drew him to realize a void in the area, and he has been working to fill it, as he has spearheaded the inaugural Golden Locke Film Festival, an event geared toward young filmmakers.

“I made a short film previously and I had nowhere locally that I could enter it,” he said. “Then I realized that there is nothing close by that could help people like me express what they want to do, so I thought why not start one myself. I planned it and I put it into motion.”

The Golden Locke Film Festival will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday in the James F. Dicke Auditorium at New Bremen High School.

The free event is open to the public, and semi formal attire is requested. To begin planning for the event, Ferguson laid out the requirements for entries in the competition.

“The requirements were that the film had to be between five and 35 minutes long, it had to be done by a crew that was between the ages of 5 and 25, you had to pay a $15 entry fee and any (obscene) language would have to be bleeped out,” Ferguson said, noting that entries were due on April 1.

He also targeted area businesses to sponsor the event, including Lock One Community Arts, Zeal Coaching for Life and Careers, Pat Fergusons Soccer Camps Limited, Celtic Pickle Productions and Barb Topp with Cutaway Salon.

“I thought of who would like to get their business known and Lock One has always been a supporter of the local arts, and they actually approached me offering to sponsor it because they thought the idea was something pretty original, and they wanted to be a part of it,” he said.

The festival drew entries from young filmmakers across the country.

“One group was local, but I have three entries that were from Cleveland, I have one from Nevada and I have one from a friend down in Texas,” Ferguson said.

The six short films will be shown at the event, and Ferguson noted that a variety awards will be presented at the festival.

“We have six awards,” he said.

“We have awards for Best Picture, Best Comedy, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Dialogue and Best Special Effects/Editing.”

The films will be judged by a panel of five judges, Ferguson said.

“I have four close acquaintances of mine who all have a giant passion for film like me,” he said. “I decided to ask them to help me with my critiquing because I think it would be very unfair to leave all of the judging up to me, so I asked them to be a part of it and they all agreed.”

Ferguson said he hopes to make the Golden Locke Film Festival and annual event and said he is excited for the experience.

“I’m looking forward to the experience,” he said. “I’ve never done anything to this scale before, so I’m excited to see how it goes.”